Ten Little Toes
by blehhxj9
Summary: Blair is hiding a secret. One that can devastate her and those around her. The secret could mean the end of her social standing, and more importantly, the end of a childhood friendship.
1. Chapter 1

AN: Series is not mine... you know the rest.

Chapter One

The cafeteria was filling up quickly with the Constance Billard girls. Blair Waldorf spotted Kati Farkas and Isabel Coates at their usual lunch table. She waved a hand, signaling her arrival in a few minutes and selected a whole wheat bagel, low-fat cream cheese, and a few slices of cucumber. This had become her favorite lunch selection of the moment, and was pleased it had shaved off a couple pounds.

Blair picked up her lunch tray and ambled over to her table.

"Hey, Blair," Isabel greeted her, her mouth full of the sweet potato fries she was eating. "Did you do the writing assignment for English?"

Blair nodded. Isabel never did her homework on time and usually sponged ideas off the other girls. "Why don't you ever do the work when it's assigned?" She took notice of the way Isabel was eating. "And close your mouth when you eat. That's gross." She chided.

Isabel shrugged, dropped the fry, and swallowed. "I've got more important things to do."

Blair raised a freshly waxed eyebrow, about to say something, but Kati beat her to it.

"Like what? You're usually at my house hogging the remote while I'm doing _my_ paper." She retorted. She picked a frizzy hair out of her parfait. Her hair was always getting all over everything.

Isabel rolled her eyes. "Like I said, I have better things to do. Anyways, where is Serena?"

The girls glanced around the cafeteria, searching for the blonde beauty. She was hard to miss. Serena van der Woodsen was easily the most beautiful girl in the entire school, or maybe all of New York. With her pale blonde hair, angular features, and gazelle-long legs, all the guys tripped over themselves to talk to her while the girls did everything they could to copy her style. But Serena didn't have a style set in stone. She could wear and do anything she wanted, and everyone still loved her. It was completely nauseating. Especially when "everyone" included Blair's boyfriend, Nate Archibald.

A few summers ago, Serena and Nate lost their virginities together. They both kept it from Blair, and she found out because Nate blabbed the whole thing the night Blair decided she was ready to go all the way with him. She broke up with Nate and ignored Serena. But now, they were all happy again… for now anyway.

Blair spotted Serena coming out of the lunch line and toward their table, a heart-stopping smile plastered on her face.

"What's she so happy about?" Kati nudged Isabel.

"Maybe Chad gave her some before lunch." Isabel tittered back. "Or some other guy. You know Serena can never keep track."

"Hey guys." Serena beamed at her friends.

"Hey Serena." All three girls said in unison.

Serena began stuffing her face with the wasabi-smoked tuna steak she picked from the hot lunch choices.

"I'm so in love." She said dreamily, mouth packed with food. Kati and Isabel waited for Blair to call Serena out for talking with her mouth full, but because she was Serena, she could get away with it.

Blair rolled her eyes. She was happy Serena found someone that made her happy. After that scruffy-looking kid from Riverside Prep, Dan Humphrey, and Blair's dreadlocked, vegan step-brother, Aaron, she was sure Serena would never settle down. She just hated that Chad was the only thing Serena ever talked about lately.

Serena had met Chad Hendley when she was up in Connecticut with her parents four weekends ago. He was with his parents as well at the country club at which they both were staying. His mischievous smile and silver-flecked eyes were enough to make Serena fall in love, or as close to love as you can get in two days, anyway, and they'd been inseparable ever since. She even lucked out when Chad told her that he would be attending Riverside Prep the rest of his senior year. So Serena had Chad, which meant she would stay away from Nate.

"How can you be in love?" Isabel challenged. "I mean you just met the guy."

Serena just shrugged. "I don't know. It's just something you know. You feel it all over. He's the one. I just know it." Serena gushed.

All this talk about love was making Blair's stomach turn. She wanted to rip that pleasant little smile off Serena's face. She was only jealous because Nate hadn't been paying much attention to her lately. All he was doing was getting high with his buddies. She hated when Serena was so fucking happy. It made her feel like she was rubbing Blair's face in it.

Of course Serena was way too nice to do such a thing, but Blair preferred to create her own reasoning. It made it easier for Blair to hate Serena. That's the kind of relationship they had: love-hate, with the hate geared more toward Serena than Blair.

"Don't be jealous, Isabel. Be happy for her." Blair said coolly.

Isabel looked stunned by her accusation, but just shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm not jealous," She said. "I just don't think it's possible to fall in love with someone you've only known for like two weeks."

Serena gritted her teeth, willing herself to not say something catty like Blair had just done. She hated when people were so negative about things they didn't understand. Isabel wasn't even a true friend. With all the rumors and lies she had perpetuated about her, did she really think Serena was going to take her advice?

"I'm in love. Why is that so hard to believe?" Serena almost whispered. She looked like she was about to cry.

Blair noticed Serena's expression wane, began to feel sorry for her, and was about to lace into Isabel for being so bitchy, but Kati piped up.

"New subject, please." Kati insisted. "What's up with that party this weekend?"

Blair glanced at Kati. Chuck Bass was planning a get-together at his suite in the Tribeca Star Hotel. Only the cream of the crop was invited, and Blair and Serena and friends were definitely that. Even though Chuck was a perverted, wannabe-Lothario, he was still one of them. And he knew how to party.

"Just show up, I guess. You know Chuck doesn't care." Blair replied.

The thing with partying was as long as you knew how to balance it and school, and didn't do anything to embarrass the family, you were good. Serena, unfortunately, got caught screwing up and suffered the consequences of it. She had got kicked out of boarding school because she was too busy partying with the locals in France that summer and missed the first few weeks of class. Thankfully, Constance Billard was a little more forgiving. She received the cold shoulder the first few weeks, though, due to her inattention to her old crowd, not to mention that little fling she had with Nate. But Serena was back on top now, all forgiven, with a new love by her side.

Bits of bagel were now strewn across Blair's plate, and she gathered her trash, preparing to go.

"I'm heading to the computer lab." She stated. "Serena, you coming?"

"Sure." Serena replied.

Kati and Isabel gathered their things as well.

"What about us?" Kati whined.

Blair rolled her eyes. The girls were such copycats. They couldn't even think for themselves. They came in handy, however, to do Blair's bidding anytime she needed them, though. They were so desperate to take Serena's place as her best friend; they would probably lick the bottoms of her feet if she asked.

"Sorry. I just need Serena. See you guys later." Blair turned and made her way to the trash bins across the cafeteria.

Serena stood and followed Blair, leaving Kati and Isabel to pout in envy and rejection. "See you guys." She smiled her fakest smile and walked off.

* * *

><p>Serena told Blair she would catch up to her in a few, so Serena ducked off into the bathroom to make a phone call.<p>

She speed-dialed Chad's number, and he picked up on the second ring.

"I couldn't go another minute without hearing your voice." She purred into the phone.

Chad chuckled on the other end. "I guess the feeling is mutual then. I miss you, too."

"You still going to that hotel party I told you about?" Serena asked. She asked him several times before, and he had said yes to her each time. She was afraid he was going to pull a typical guy move and cancel on her at the last minute. But Chad wouldn't do that. He was her sweetie-pie.

"I told you already I was." He replied. "When is it exactly, though?"

"Saturday night. You just show up when you feel like it." Serena explained.

"Well I'll be there." He said.

"With bells on, I hope." Serena attempted at a joke. She didn't know what it was about Chad that made her turn into such a dork. But he told her he liked her corniness. It added humor to things that would otherwise be completely boring.

"Yes, my love." He replied.

Awww.

Serena giggled as she blushed stupidly. "Well, I gotta go. I'll see you after class okay? Love You."

"Love you too." Chad said and hung up.

Serena's body was buzzing with pure excitement. Never before had she felt like this. Even though Serena had had tons of boyfriends, none of them made her feel the way Chad did. She felt like he meant it when he said he loved her. Not like other guys, who just said it to be romantic and get a step closer to sex. He truly meant it. This was exactly what Serena wanted and needed: true love.

And as the old saying goes: true love never lies… right?

Serena stuffed her cell phone back into her black Kate Spade tote bag and dashed to the computer lab, hoping Blair had not already left.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

That afternoon, Chad made his way out the door to the steps in front of Riverside Prep. He'd only been there for two weeks and he was already adjusted to the new teachers and guys around him… except for maybe one.

Chuck Bass was talking rather loudly to a group of guys he recognized from his chemistry class.

"Get this: the guy is actually _fucking_ her now. I heard she's paying him to pose as her boyfriend to get rid of her slutty image. Too bad Nate is still getting some, too. Trust me, I've seen it."

Chad rolled his eyes and considered punching Chuck in his rather large mouth. He knew that Chuck was referring to him and Serena. He had heard all these rumors about her; she was on drugs and sold them, she had a baby by some guy in France, she was in a sex-crazed cult, and blah, blah, blah. Chad wasn't the type to listen to such things, however. Serena was his goddess. She wasn't like how all the guys described her.

Chuck spotted Chad walking and smirked. "And there's the man of the hour himself. " He sneered.

Chad ignored him and kept walking.

"Hey, come on, man. Tell us what it's like to be with a freak like that." Chuck pressed.

Chad gritted his teeth and ran his hand through his thick chocolate-colored hair. "Sounds like you're still mad she turned you down, man."

Serena had told him about all the crap Chuck tried to pull on her and her sometimes-oblivious classmates. Chuck was the sex-crazed freak, not Serena. And he was a sore loser. Serena rejected him flat one time he was trying to feel her up in his hotel suite. He'd been sore about it ever since.

"Turn me down?" Chuck looked defensive and smug all at the same time. "Please. Girls don't turn me down. Serena's just too much of a stuck-up bitch to give me any. That's fine. I've had way hotter. And cleaner, too." The guys around him all snickered.

Chad was getting angry. "Watch your mouth, asshole." He warned.

Chuck got right in his face. "What you gonna do if I don't, tough guy?"

Chad considered breaking his neck right then and there, but he felt his cell phone vibrate in his jacket pocket. He took it out and read the little screen: Serena.

Chad backed away and answered it. "Hey, what's up?"

Chuck took a step back, half-pleased for standing his ground, and half-relieved the guy didn't hit him. Chad was kind of a big guy, built like a football player, and Chuck just got a manicure.

Chad walked down to catch a cab and talked to Serena.

"Your little friend Chuck was about to get knocked the hell out." Chad said, still a bit heated from the exchange.

Serena scoffed. "Forget him. He's totally not worth the effort. He picks on people. That's just what he does."

"Anyways, where are you going after school? I wanted to take you to that restaurant you were talking about." Chad said.

"I'm going over to Blair's house for a few. Her mom has some big announcement or whatever. Given her history, those aren't ever that good. So I'm going with Blair for, you know, moral support."Serena explained.

Chad chuckled. Serena had told him about the time Blair's mom had announced her marriage proposal to that weird-looking guy, Cyrus Rose, and her pregnancy soon after.

"Just call me after, okay?" Chad asked. "Love you."

He could practically feel Serena smiling on the other end. "Love you, too." She hung up.

* * *

><p>Blair angrily jabbed at the keys on her phone, dialing Nate's number for what seemed like the hundredth time in five minutes. His phone rang once or twice then went to voicemail, which meant he was ignoring her calls. Well, she would blow up his phone until he answered. He was blowing her off, and she demanded an explanation as to why.<p>

Serena wasn't about to share the information that she had spoken to Nate 45 minutes ago, and he said that he was going to an art auction with his parents. She figured that he would call Blair when he got a chance, and Blair needed to learn the art of patience. And Serena didn't want to start another argument over Nate.

"Call him later." Serena said. They were both sitting on Blair's bed, an old Audrey Hepburn movie playing in the background. They very well couldn't enjoy the movie with Blair in a fit and on the phone like a jealous wife. She was glad Chad never blew off her phone calls.

Serena grimaced slightly for harboring such selfish thoughts. She knew how much Nate meant to Blair and how much it hurt her to be ignored by him.

"He's at an art auction with his parents." Serena confessed. She watched as Blair snapped her phone shut and glare at her.

"How do you know that?" Blair challenged.

Blair couldn't actually spit fire, but the look she had on her face right then definitely said she could.

"I called him a little while ago. I invited him over, and he said he was going there with his parents." Serena continued.

Blair flung herself off her bed and stormed over to the window. "Why in hell did he tell you that and not me? I'm his girlfriend, for fuck sake!"

Serena shrank back on the pillows, anticipating another one of Blair's jealous tirades. As many as she's witnessed, Blair could still scare the crap out of her.

"All this time he's been blowing me off for God knows how long, but he can call you and talk to you all the time. It's not fair." Blair continued. She bent over to take off her Gucci loafers, forgetting that she had on her dangerously short school uniform skirt and totally flashing Serena. She heaved one of her shoes at her walk-in closet door.

Serena cringed. Blair had started to get a lot more aggressive and more easily agitated lately. Jealousy brought out the worst in her.

Blair was seething. Serena had Chad, but yet and still she insisted to sink her claws into Nate. She hated that Nate always went to Serena with his problems, and vice versa. It just wasn't fair.

"Calm down. I'm sure he'll call you later." Serena offered. "He loves you, not me." She added quickly. She gathered her long blonde hair in her fist and tied it into a loose knot on top of her head.

Blair allowed herself to take a deep breath. The way those two ran to each other made her sick. They took each other's virginities; what else did they need? But Serena did have a point. They were destined to be together. Nate was her true love. It was fate.

"You're right. Sorry." Blair sighed.

Serena raised an eyebrow. Blair _never_ apologized. Maybe she had finally broken through. It might have not been an on-her-knees-begging type of apology, but Blair still said "sorry". Now that was something.

"I wonder what Chad is doing. I told him I would be at your house for a while." Serena pondered. The only thing Blair's mom had announced was that she and Blair's step-father, Cyrus Rose, were going to St. Barts for a week on a honeymoon-esque getaway, even though Mrs. Rose just had a baby several months ago. The nanny staff would have to be on full alert because even though Blair loved her baby sister, Serena knew she wasn't going to waste a parent-free week babysitting.

Blair ran a hand through her walnut-colored hair, which she had recently had trimmed up at that new salon that opened up a few blocks from her house. Her pixie cut was sexier than ever. "Who knows?" She shrugged her shoulders. She flopped back onto the bed, mildly exhausted from her little moment.

Serena scooted off the bed. "I have to pee." She went to the bathroom and closed the door.

Blair felt a vibration through the mattress and realized that Serena's phone was going off. She just received a text message.

Doing what all best friends do, Blair opened the text message and read it:

_I miss you. I'm waiting for you at your house. I need to talk to you. Love Nate._

Blair was close to hurling her phone across the room. No wonder Nate wasn't spending any time with her. He was too busy over at Serena's house.

_What the fuck_? Blair thought as she erased the text from the inbox. Her mind was racing. Her stomach began to churn. But before she decided to go make herself puke, she had to take action. For years, Serena had always driven a wedge between her and Nate. She had Chad now, so why in bloody hell was she still hanging out with Nate in an intimate setting like her bedroom? Well, Nate belonged to Blair, and she needed a way to make Serena see that.

Normally best friends would never let a guy come between them, but Blair was far from normal, and much too petty to let something like this go.

If only Blair could get Serena where it hurt the most; she wanted to show her what it was like to suffer. Serena never suffered. Blair always took the major blows: her parents' divorce, her mom marrying that fat bastard and inheriting a gross step-brother, finding out Nate and Serena slept together, giving up her birthday for her mom's tacky-ass wedding, two fucked up Yale interviews, her mother's rather embarrassing pregnancy… the list went on and on.

An idea suddenly flashed in Blair's mind as Serena stepped out the bathroom.

"Sorry I took so long." Serena said, flopping back down on the rose-colored bed spread. "I started picking at split ends."

"It's fine." Blair said distractedly, smirk still plastered on her face.

Serena glanced up at her best friend. "What's so funny?"

Blair turned to face her.

"Nothing." She replied. Her smirk turned into a sickeningly sweet smile. "Nothing at all."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Chuck's suite at the Tribeca was almost full, and it was only 9:30. Girls in Missoni-knit halter tops were flirting with guys in button-downs and khakis. Kati, Isabel, and Rain Hoffstetter sprawled out on the huge canopy bed, snapping pictures in this-side-of-pornographic poses for the picture collection on the dresser by the door. Chuck himself had managed to get Becky Dormand, a junior at Constance who somehow weaseled her way into the senior crowd, drunk enough to get her wrap-around shirt to come slightly unwrapped.

Blair watched Chuck practically doing it with Becky in the corner and cringed. She was glad Nate wasn't like that. Hell, Nate was doing the very opposite. He had barely touched her or even talked to her all night.

She had called Nate that morning while she was getting a pedicure and practically begged him to arrive with her. It sucked that she had to beg her boyfriend to do stuff with her. At first, he wasn't sure about even going at all. Blair, however, did not give up that easily. She decided to test him and mentioned that Serena really wanted him to go. And, as she predicted, his answer went from "I don't know" to "definitely sure".

What did Serena have that she didn't? Why did Serena have this inexplicable power to get people to fall in love with her? It was like she was an evil witch, casting spells on everyone she met to make them love her because she was too afraid to live life on her own. Blair watched a movie unfold in her mind where she was the heroine, the star of the show, breaking the spell Serena had cast on everybody and watching Serena fall off a cliff, like that witch on Snow White. Vultures then came to eat her eyeballs out of her badly cracked skull.

Blair smirked at the image, but something caught her eye. Chad was sitting on one of the ottomans across the room, drink in hand, people-watching. He was paying particularly close attention to Serena and Nate. They were sitting out on the balcony, talking and laughing. Chad seemed to have a look of jealousy in his eye. Blair now had an opening.

She ambled over to Chad as best she could. She had three glasses of champagne and four shots of Stoli, and was feeling a little bit dizzy in her four-inch Manolo heels.

"Hey." Blair said, sitting next to Chad.

Chad looked up and smiled. "Hey, Blair."

Blair never noticed it before, but Chad was extremely attractive. His hair was in a half-surfer boy, half-skater boy cut; his eyes had a steely grey coloring to them that looked like they were full of secrets. His smile was highlighted by a row of perfectly straight, laser-whitened teeth. No wonder Serena said she was in love; Chad was gorgeous.

"You look lost." Blair said. She crossed her legs in the most ladylike manner possible, which was kind of hard to do because her chocolate brown tunic dress was kind of short.

"I mean, I don't really know anybody. Well, except Chuck, but I don't like him that much." Chad replied. He took a sip of the purplish drink in his crystal glass.

Blair nodded sympathetically. "Yeah, not many people do. He's a total asshole. But fuck it. The guy knows how to throw a decent party."

Chad laughed and nodded. "So what's up with that guy and Serena? I mean, she's barely said anything to me since he showed up. That's not a good look, you know?"

"That's Nate." Blair stated. "He's supposed to be my boyfriend. But when Serena's around, he forgets I even exist. It's been like that all our lives. I should be used to it by now, but it bothers me." Blair sighed dramatically and scooted a few inches closer to Chad to where their thighs were touching. Chad didn't move away.

Her plan was to show Nate that she could leave him like that if he didn't get his act together very soon. She wanted Serena to see what it was like to watch her best friend all over her boyfriend. Seemed like a good plan.

Be careful. Murphy's Law states that whatever can go wrong will go wrong.

"Why would you even put up with that?" Chad asked. "I really do love Serena, but Jesus, I don't want to see her all over some random guy. Even if he is her best friend, that's just something you don't want to see. She never even bothered to introduce him. She saw him come in with you and excused herself. She's been out there with him ever since." He explained. The genuine look of hurt was in his eye.

"Trust me, I know how that feels. My boyfriend and best friend all over each other like that?" Blair ran a hand through her hair. "I hate watching that."

Both of them watched Serena and Nate through the sliding door. Nate was leaning on the railing and Serena was next to him, her head on his shoulder.

Blair's stomach was becoming ravenous again, and she cursed herself for eating light that afternoon and drinking. She needed to get away from there and fast before she got sick all over the freshly steam-cleaned carpet.

"It's like I don't even exist when she's around."Blair continued. "Not just with Nate, but anybody. Friends, family… even complete strangers. When she left for boarding school a few years ago, all anyone ever talked about was her. And when that got old, they crowded around me. She came back, and suddenly she was the topic of interest again. It's so fucking nauseating!" Blair felt her eyes well up with tears, but she refused to cry in front of him and look like a complete wimp. Blair was a woman in charge, and relationship problems were not going to break her… not in the middle of a party anyway.

Nothing kills the mood more than a pretty girl in tears.

It may have been the liquor and Chad's understanding and sympathetic stare, but Blair couldn't believe she was pouring her heart out to a guy she barely even knew. It felt good, though, to just let it all out. Clearly her plan wasn't working seeing that Nate and Serena hadn't even noticed her and Chad together, so being able to vent was worth it.

"I never really had that problem until now." Chad replied. "Usually all my exes paid me _too much_ attention, so this is new. I don't even know what to say."

"Well, Serena was never really a good friend." Blair confessed. That wasn't entirely true. Serena was there for her on numerous occasions, but she was mad as hell that she was sinking her claws farther into Nate. She was pissed at Nate for allowing Serena to come between them _again_.

"What do you mean?" Chad asked.

Blair hesitated. She didn't want to regurgitate all the rumors floating around about Serena because Serena wasn't exactly a slut. She just jumped from guy to guy, giving her the image of one without actually doing anything with them. She never bothered to clear her name, allowing people to believe what they want. That was what Blair admired about Serena the most: the fact that she didn't necessarily care about her image. That same fact, though, made it all the scarier.

"It's just that… Serena makes a habit of hopping from guy to guy without much thought." Blair stated. "Like she's bored with one, now on to another. The thing that bothers me the most is that she lost her virginity with Nate." Blair blushed slightly at this confession. She never admitted that out loud before, but it was good she did. It was time to confront her feelings about the situation instead of repressing it and becoming more angry and manic about it.

Chad's eyes widened. "Wow, seriously?"

Blair nodded slowly. "I tried to forgive them, you know, for hurting me like that. It's hard to do that when you see _this_." She gestured over toward Nate and Serena, who were now both seated with each other on a chaise lounge chair.

Some random OutKast song came on, and all the girls headed towards the entertainment center and started grinding their butts on guy closest to them. Chuck was now laying across his bed, a bottle of Jager in his hand, with Kati and Isabel both laying on each side of him, like he was their pimp or something.

"Hey, Blair," He shouted drunkenly over the music. "Come join us. Make this threesome a foursome." Kati and Isabel tittered.

Blair scrunched up her nose. "No thanks" She refocused her attention back on Chad.

"I'm tired of being here already." She said.

Chad lifted up slightly and rested his elbows on his knees. "Want to go get something to eat? I'm starving." He offered.

Blair weighed the consequences of that. Going off somewhere with her best friend's boyfriend? Not a good look. But Nate and Serena were too wrapped up in each other to notice their significant others bonding with one another. Serena was guilty of far worse offenses than just going to get something to eat with him. Still, though, Blair always thought she was above that. Her stomach growled. She was hungry, too. What the hell? What could possibly go wrong?

"Sure." Blair decided. She stood up, a little woozy from sitting for so long. So her plan had fallen flat. That was fine. But she had got a lot off her mind talking to Chad. It was just food. They would go eat and come right back, no harm done.

Chad and Blair made their way to and out the door. Nate and Serena hadn't even noticed.

Maybe if they both would've gone outside with them, they would have realized Serena and Nate were talking about _them_ the whole time.

Blair made extra sure they didn't look too suspicious walking out the hotel together. It would be just what she needed for it to get posted all over that damned gossip website.

Too late.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Sorry for the delay. College has been kicking my butt. I'll try to update more often, but no guarantee. Anyway, enjoy!

Chapter Four

She couldn't tell if it was her head or someone banging on her bedroom door, but Blair awoke to an intense pounding noise. She rubbed the crust from her eyes and yawned. Her mouth was bone dry.

"Blair!" A voice called from the other side of the door. It was her brother, Tyler.

Blair rolled over onto her stomach, pulling the silk quilt over her head.

"What?" She shouted back angrily. It was 10:02am on a Sunday morning. She had the world's worst hangover, and she didn't feel like being bothered.

"Mom's on the phone for you." Tyler said. He jiggled the doorknob. "Come on; pick up the phone so I can go back to Guitar Hero."

"Tell her I'm sick." Blair replied. She was in no mood to hear about all her mother's less-than-thrilling escapades on the tiny island she and Cyrus were inhibiting.

Tyler groaned. Blair heard his footsteps retreat down the hall.

Blair rolled back onto her back, pissed that she knew she couldn't go back to sleep. She managed to drag herself out of bed and to her bathroom. She turned the faucet on full blast and basted her toothbrush with toothpaste. As she scrubbed her molars, she struggled to remember the events of the night before.

Chuck's party. Watching Nate and Serena practically do it on the balcony at said party. An intense conversation with Serena's boyfriend.

Blair paused on that thought, trying to remember exactly what she told him. Liquor and confessions were not the best of friends, especially when you can never remember what you confessed.

She knew she was pissed Nate was blowing her off lately. She was pissed that all Serena ever talked about was Chad. She was even more pissed that Nate was blowing her off for Serena. It just wasn't fair.

Forty-five minutes later, Blair was freshly showered and shaved, make-up and hair done, and dressed in her favorite pair of dark denim blue jeans and a black sweater. She made her way to the kitchen, passing Aaron and Tyler in an intense Guitar Hero match in one of the lounges.

"Hey, sis." Aaron smiled slyly. It was no secret Aaron had the tiniest crush on Blair. That fact alone made Blair want to vomit. It also gave her more ammunition to hate his guts, no matter how friendly he was. His disgusting dog, Mookie, was asleep in a corner.

"Fuck off." Blair mumbled. She noticed an open bottle of vodka on the glass coffee table, and was about to cuss Aaron out for drinking in front of her young, impressionable brother, but a chain of thoughts suddenly entered her mind.

Stoli shots, champagne, pouring her heart out to Chad, leaving the party with Chad in search of food, more shots at his parents' townhouse, a comfy mattress…

Oh shit.

Blair's eyes widened as the events of last night unfolded in her mind. Suddenly everything became clear as the blue sky outside.

"Oh my God." Blair murmured, clamping her hand tightly over her mouth. Aaron took notice.

"You okay, sis?" He asked.

Blair ignored him and dashed for the hall bathroom. She slammed the door behind her, dropped to her knees in front of the toilet, and heaved. Nothing came out.

Realization hit her like a ton of bricks. She had had sex with Chad! She thought she had simply gotten her period in her sleep last night, but she just had one a few weeks ago.

Blair stood up and dropped the lid on the toilet and sat down, her head in her hands. Her virginity, something she had teased Nate with for as long as she could remember, was now gone, thrown away in a fit of passion and drunken stupidity. She knew if word got around that she had hopped in bed with _her best friend's boyfriend _behind her own boyfriend's back, she would be ruined. Just when Blair thought her life couldn't get anymore fucked up, this happens. Not only that, but she just hurt the two most important people in her life, no matter how much she hated them sometimes.

She wondered if Serena felt like this when she slept with Nate. She wondered if the same devastated, hopeless feeling of dread consumed her like it was doing Blair at this very moment.

Come to think of it, Serena acted like she didn't have a brain that worked half the time, much less a conscience, so why would the bitch even feel bad about it? She figured Blair would just forgive, forget, and move on, so why worry about it?

Wrong.

Blair shoved that thought aside to focus on her own problem. What if someone saw her leaving the hotel with Chad? What if they got on their phones and uploaded that juicy bit of gossip on the Internet for everyone to see? What if Serena had seen it? Or Nate?

Well, Blair planned on taking that secret to the grave with her. It was just a one-time thing. Sure, her virginity was now gone, but she wasn't a slut. Kati lost her virginity to Chuck one night in a drunken stupor, and people talked about it for a few days, and moved on.

But Blair was supposed to be a role model, someone all the freshmen girls aspired to be. Nobody copied Kati. They followed Blair; they looked to her as a positive example. Not just the students, but the faculty and staff, too. They would change their minds about her really fast if they found out that she lost her virginity to some guy she barely even knew. The most fucked up part about it was Blair couldn't remember if they used protection or not.

Blair's eyes began to sting, signaling a fresh batch of tears, and she let them fall. How could she screw up so royally? It was bad enough she wasn't even sure if she was going to get into Yale, her dream school. Now she pretty much just undid everything she worked so hard to achieve. She had a reputation as an upstanding, dependable student. She had to protect that reputation… one way or another.

* * *

><p>Monday afternoon at school, Serena grabbed two peanut butter cookies and an apple juice from a tray in the cafeteria. It was recess, and she still couldn't find Blair. She called her all day yesterday and never got an answer. She even waited on the steps of the Met for her best friend, but she never showed. Blair must be mad at her for monopolizing all of Nate's attention at Chuck's party.<p>

Serena didn't mean to act so selfish with Nate. She just hadn't actually sat down and talked to him in weeks. She went on and on about Chad, and she even questioned why he had been avoiding Blair. Nate's answer was the standard, "I just needed time to myself", to which Serena didn't even accept as a genuine answer anymore.

Serena sighed and took a seat by the mirrors. She sipped her juice as she continued to scan the cafeteria for her long-lost best friend. A couple girls from the junior class waved at her, and Serena acknowledged them with a lukewarm smile. Finally, she spotted Blair near the entrance, moving quickly to avoid the few girls that seemed to follow her around everywhere she went, namely Kati and Isabel.

"Blair, over here!" Serena motioned like a madman over to the spot she was sitting.

Blair clenched her teeth, not wanting to join Serena, but she'd been spotted so she couldn't turn away. She had been avoiding Serena all weekend to keep herself from feeling more and more guilty about what happened between her and Chad.

Blair approached Serena slowly.

"Hi." She said meekly.

Serena's smile brightened a little. "Where the hell have you been? I missed you." She pulled Blair into an embrace, to which Blair barely responded. She patted Serena gently on the back and pulled away.

"I had some stuff going on, sorry." Blair replied. Her focus shifted around the cafeteria.

_Wow, she really is pissed at me_, Serena thought glumly. Why else would Blair seem so distant? She'd known Blair long enough to know the warning signs of her moods.

"Look, I'm sorry about hogging Nate at the party. I just haven't talked to him in a while, and I was telling him all about Chad. How come you just didn't come out there with us?" Serena gushed.

Blair's face paled a little bit. She had to get out of there fast before she got sick all over her brand new over-the-knee Christian Louboutin boots.

"Like I said, I had shit of my own going on." Blair replied grumpily. She shifted her Kate Spade tote bag to the other shoulder. "Look, I have to go." She said suddenly.

Serena's eyes widened. "Um, okay."

Blair turned tail and made her way toward the direction of the computer lab. She couldn't stand it any longer. The look of guilt in Serena's eyes as she apologized was almost too much to bear. She almost confessed right then and there. But she couldn't. She had to find the right time, which was not in a cafeteria full of gossip-hungry girls.

Sooner or later, though, she was going to have to tell her.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Constance Billard girls were circulating their own stories as to what happened that night.

"I heard Serena and Blair got so drunk that they went to give Serena's boyfriend a threesome." Becky Dormand snitched to her junior friends.

"That's not true." Rain Hoffstetter jumped in. "Serena was with Nate all night remember? Blair and Serena's boyfriend ended up getting another suite for themselves."

"I think maybe they should all join a swinger's club or something. Serena would have fun slutting it up in there, that's for sure." Kati tittered to her own circle of friends.

And the whole time, Serena was just sitting there, absorbing every word.


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Update is longgggg overdue, I know, but I plan on finishing this within the next couple of months. Happy reading!

Chapter Five

Chad sat on the stoop of his parent's townhouse, smoking a Newport, and contemplating the events of the past weekend. So Nate and Serena had been intimate before. He was not going to be able to handle the possibility of having him all up in his face as Blair's boyfriend. But that's not what was disturbing him.

He had slept with Blair.

How he was ever going to face Serena was going to be the hardest thing he'd ever done. He had never cheated on a girlfriend… well once, but she cheated with his best friend first. And revenge is best served cold and close to home, so he scored with her sister.

But fuck that. He didn't know why he did it.

He was thinking with the head in his pants, not on his shoulders, and you know how well that can turn out.

Blair is an extremely attractive girl, so any guy in their right mind would have been dying to hook up with her. But it's the simple fact that he didn't even know her, up until that night anyway.

He hadn't talked to Serena for two days; she called him, sent email after email. She was so good to him so why, why, _why_ had he drunkenly hooked up with her best friend?

Chad felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He knew without looking that it was Serena. He inhaled deeply, determined to confess the whole sordid tale. He didn't want to hurt her, but he couldn't keep something like this from her.

"Hey." He answered.

"Oh, my God, where have you been?" Serena nearly shrieked through the phone.

Chad fumbled for a believable excuse. He settled for, "I had some family drama to handle. Nothing major. Uncle trying to scam my dad out of some money." That was actually true, but was not why he was avoiding Serena.

Serena hesitated with her reply. "Oh, okay. Blair had been ignoring me too. I was wondering if someone was plotting against me." She let out a nervous chuckle.

Oh how close she was to being right.

"Well, um, I need to talk to you. Can you meet me at Serendipity around 7?" Chad asked. He was planning on telling her there, publicly so she couldn't make too much of a scene.

Coward's way out.

"I'm actually having dinner with my parents at some charity banquet tonight, so I can't. And I don't think I can score you an invite. Maybe tomorrow?" Serena said.

Chad started to panic. He needed to tell her soon or he might not get the nerve again.

"Uh, sure." He replied lamely.

"Okay, great. I have to go now. Love you, bye." Serena hung up.

Chad's heart practically dropped to his asshole when Serena said "love you". It was a metaphorical kick to his conscience. How could he have done that, with, of all the girls in the city, her best friend? Guilt began to gnaw at him, and he stood up, legs slightly asleep from sitting on the stoop in one position for nearly an hour.

One thing was for sure. He needed to tell her immediately before the consequences crashed down on him.

* * *

><p>"Serena, dear, you barely ate, and hardly spoke a word all day." Mrs. Van der Woodsen had nosed herself into Serena's room after they'd arrived home from the banquet. "Something the matter?"<p>

Serena was sprawled across her bed, clutching a light pink pillow.

"Just had some stuff on my mind is all." She replied.

Mrs. Van der Woodsen perched herself on the edge of Serena's queen sized princess bed, her silk, champagne colored robe fluttering out around her. "Anything in particular?"

"Just school stuff." Serena said. She didn't dare reveal her true thoughts of questioning Blair's loyalty.

"Alright, well, I'm going to bed. Don't stay up too late, darling." Her mother kissed her tenderly on the forehead and strode out of the room.

Serena sighed and rolled onto her back. Ever since she had heard the rumors about Blair and Chad's hook up, she'd been a little depressed. But Serena knew good and well how much those girls at Constance liked to gossip, mostly about her, and all of it was untrue. To make matters worse, someone had forwarded a picture to her email of Blair and Chad leaving the Tribeca together.

Since she had confronted neither Blair nor Chad about it, she had nothing to go on, which made her doubly nervous as to why both of them had been avoiding her. Was there some type of truth to the rumor.

Serena shook her head to clear it of any traitorous thoughts. Blair couldn't have done anything, not with all the hell she put Serena through when she found out about her and Nate. That would make her a total hypocrite.

But Blair was a master of payback. If the rumors were true, could it be a delayed reaction for what Serena did to her? She never really talked about it, all except ask Serena what it was like to sleep with Nate. Other than that, Blair wasn't the one to divulge such private emotions. Serena knew that that's what has hurt the most, tore into her heart like a knife.

Serena sighed and sat upright. She needed answers. Hopefully a good night's sleep would do her some good.

* * *

><p>Blair sat in AP French class, bored nearly to tears listening to some lecture on how to conjugate verbs. Her mind kept wandering to other matters at hand. Some girls, mostly upper classmen, had been giving her funny looks all day, as if they knew something. She already heard several versions of what went down with her and Chad that night at the party, some stories as wild as a kinky orgy in an East Village dive motel. Like Blair would be caught dead in anything less than 5 stars.<p>

Of course Kati and Isabel were up her ass as usual, so there were no clues with them if they've been discussing the situation.

Class ended early and Blair pushed her way past the girls to avoid being stopped and talked to. She didn't even have a snide thought about Vanessa Abrams, the weirdo film buff with the fat knees, and her fetish for all black attire and combat boots.

She made her way to the computer lab to check her email. Nate had called her and apologized that morning for acting so distant lately, so she felt a bit better, though not entirely due to what had went down. When she clicked on her email icon she had 4 new messages, one of them from the school announcing some sort of glee club production, and one whose email she didn't recognize. It wasn't from the school's system so she opened it to see.

Inside was a picture of her and Chad walking down the street from the Tribeca to hail a cab. She had clung to his arm because she was drunk and couldn't quite balance in her heels. Blair's heart skipped a beat, realizing how bad this looked. Underneath was the caption, "Hypocrite much?".

She quickly hit the little X on top of the screen before anyone took notice of the incriminating photo. Whoever snapped that picture better be glad they remained anonymous or Blair would have snapped them like a twig. It was no telling who else had seen the image. And with that caption, it had to have come from someone who knew about Serena's hook up with Nate and looked at this as some type of retaliation.

Blair heard the sound of giggling behind her. She quickly whipped around, spotting Becky Dormand and her troop of underlings at the stations near the entrance. Blair's face heated up when she realized they too had received the photo. Blair gathered her books and practically sprinted out of the room, trying desperately to make it to the bathroom before she puked all over the hallway's linoleum tiles.

She was ruined.


End file.
